Shoe tree



March 30, 1965 E. J. BAAS. SR 3,175,237

SHOE TREE Filed Jan. 18, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN T OR. 24 FIG. EDMUND .z 5445, s12

BY WVQQM/ HIS ATTORNEY! March 30, 1965 Filed Jan. 18, 1962 E. J. BAAS, SR

SHOE TREE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. EDMUND J 8445, 51?.

HIS ATTURNEYJ' United States Patent I 3,175,237 SHOE TREE Edmund J. Baas, Six, Pittsford, N.Y., assignor to Rochester Shoe Tree Co., Inc., Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 167,111 1 Claim. (Cl. l2-116.S)

This invention relates to shoe trees and the like for holding a shoe in predetermined shape while not being worn, one object being to provide an improved device of this character adapted to be molded or otherwise formed from relatively thin resiliently flexible sheet material.

Another object is to provide a device of the above character made of resiliently flexible material adapted to conform automatically to the predetermined normal shape of the shoe upper and restore and maintain the same in said shape when not being worn.

A further object is to provide a shoe tree having the above advantages in an efficient construction comprising few parts and capable of being readily and economically manufactured.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claim at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe having therein a shoe tree embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the shoe tree;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation of the shoe tree on the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation;

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation through the shoe substantially on the line 66 in FIG. 7 and showing the tree in rear elevation, and

FIG. 7 is a sectional elevation on the line 7-7 in FIG. 6.

The invention is embodied in a shoe tree Comprising a main body portion 10 (FIG. 2) of flexible and resilient sheet material, preferably plastic material such as polyethylene, shaped to conform to the predetermined normal shape of the inside of the fore part of the shoe. The body 10 may be slightly thicker at its longitudinal central portion 12, which curves down into the toe of the shoe and its sides are curved downwardly as shown to form side wall portions 14. A rearwardly and downwardly turned flange portion 16 serves to support these parts on each other.

A strip 18 of the same material, somewhat thickened and stiffened but resiliently flexible, has its ends brought together at 20 and secured to each other and the inside of the central upper portion of the body 10, by a pair of small spaced rivets 22, to securely attach these parts together and hold the strip 18 in longitudinally extending alignment with the shell 10. The intermediate portion of strip 18 is folded upon itself to form spaced loops 24 and 26, with the portions of the strip between such loops brought and secured together by a small rivet 28. In the detached condition of the shoe tree, as shown in FIG. 3, the loops 24 and 26 extend downwardly at distances below the lower edges of the side portions of the shell.

A strut 30 formed by a strip of the same plastic material, somewhat thickened and stiffer, is secured transversely to the strip 18 by the rivet 28, with the ends of the strut bearing against the downwardly curved sides of the shell 10, adjacent the bottoms of their widest portions in the detached condition of the shoe tree.

When the shoe tree is pressed into the fore part of the shoe, as shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, the shell 10 closely engages the inside of the shoe upper as the loops 24 and 26 are pressed against the inside of the shoe sole or bottom. In such insertion of the shoe tree in the shoe, the loops 24 and 26 are pressed upwardly and tensioned to act as springs (FIG. 7) while the strut 30 is pressed up- Wardly so that its ends bear outwardly against the inclined sides of the shell 10. The flexible shell 10 is thus caused to conform resiliently to the predetermined normal shape of the shoe upper, pressing it upwardly and outwardly at its sides to maintain the shoe in proper shape when not being worn.

The resilient flexibility of the body or shell 10, in combination with the self-adjusting, expanding strip 18 and strut 39, make the shoe tree adaptable to many shoe shapes and sizes. Thus about four sizes of shells and three sizes of the strip 18 and strut 36 will serve to accommodate most sizes and shapes of mens and womens shoes.

The described construction provides a shoe tree which is readily and conveniently inserted in and removed from the shoe, as by pressure against the flange I6 of the shell to either insert or remove it. The shell Ill may be readily molded from the plastic sheet material into its described shape. The strip 18 and strut 30 are readily cut from such material and assembled with the upper as described. While plastic material is preferred, some or all of the parts may be made of flexible, resilient metal. The construction comprises but few parts which are readily and economically formed and assembled to produce a shoe tree which is convenient in use and effective to maintain the shape of the shoe. v

It will thus be seen that the invention accomplishes its objects and while it has been herein disclosed by reference to the details of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that such disclosure is intended in an illustrative, rather than a limiting sense, as it is contemplated that various modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts will readily occur to those skilled in the art, within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A shoe tree comprising a shell of relatively thin, resiliently flexible sheet material formed to fit within and shape the fore part of a shoe upper, said shell having an upper body portion and opposite sidewalls curved downwardly and outwardly to bottom portions and the widest portions of said shell spaced from the forepart thereof, a strip pf resilient sheet material extending transversely of said shell with its opposite ends slidably engaging said opposite sidewalls of said shell, respectively, at said widest portions and adjacent said bottom portions thereof to maintain said sidewalls in expanded positions, and a longitudinal strip of resiliently flexible sheet material having its ends secured together and to the inside of the upper portion of said shell and its intermediate portion folded upon itself and secured to said transversely extending strip to form longitudinally spaced loops for engagement with longitudinally spaced portions of the inside of the shoe bottom to press said shell upwardly and outwardly against longitudinally and laterally spaced portions of said shoe upper.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examinen EDWARD V. BENHAM, Examiner. 

